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Chapter One: Rythia
The land of Rythia is an old world. Civilizations have risen and fallen, empires have been forged into great heights and then lost after steep declines. It is a world of rich history and deep mythologies. Various races populate the world, sometimes dwelling harmony and at others vying for supremacy. Gods occasionally walk the earth, dispensing miracles at their whim. For the most of recorded history, Mythonod was thought to be the only land in the world. After the most recent war with the dark god Syrthyn confined his peoples to a small portion of the south-west of Mythonod, the nations of Mythonod were able to devote resources that been formerly consumed in the wars toward exploration in the magics and sciences as well as the world around them. New technologies in travel have allowed the peoples of the old world to explore the globe and they have discovered a new land which they called Yalanthia. While Yalanthia is largely wild and unexplored, it was not completely uninhabited. Dwarves dwelt in the mountains and surrounding regions, wood elves in the thick forests that belt the continent, while humans and halflings could be found anywhere agreeable to agricultural development. Goblins and worse roam the lands, emboldened by the recent distractions brought about by colonization. Arcane magic was widely undeveloped by the people of Yalanthia, and they relied mostly upon divine and druidic magics. The influx of a more magically advanced society caused great disruption amongst the indigenous inhabitants and there is much tension between the new settlers and the original peoples. Further, the east coast of Yalanthia was “discovered” and settled by the Eirilnia Empire, high elves who saw themselves as inherently superior both to the people they found there and to those races they imported. Adventurers are found in plenty around Yalanthia. Some come from the displaced indigenous population, some were called to Yalanthia with promises of exploration and ready made wealth, some were exiled there and seek to start a new life. The New Kingdoms The New Kingdoms are a group of newly formed countries that run along the eastern seaboard of Yalanthia. They run from the village of Arrowfeed in the north to Lathollow in the south. There are six kingdoms overall, with a few scattered city-states dotting unclaimed territories. Arising from a revolution that broke the hold of the Eirilnia Empire over the region, these kingdoms are loosely united in a military alliance to help protect the land from any further Old World domination. The kingdoms trade with each other along the coast and have recently begun negotiations with the countries of Mythonod. Resources that are scarce or non-existent in the Old World can be found within the New Kingdoms, especially the legendary moonsteel which had been previously thought to have been mined almost out of existence. There are generally four groups found in the New Kingdoms: the Kingdoms of the colonists, the nomadic populations, the dwarven cities in the mountains, and the sinister dwellers of the underground Annwngart. ' ' The Kingdoms The Kingdoms are those regions settled by the colonists of the Old World and are what give the New Kingdoms their name. Each kingdom has its own set of laws and customs, usually imported from their original lands. Some kingdoms are quite diverse in their racial makeup, others are insular and look with disfavor (or worse) on minority populations. The Kingdoms are: * New Eirdamni, ruled by the human High King Twyrcel. A free land where races mix. * Gryoddenhom, a mixed region of indigenous and Old World wood elves. They distrust others and hate the high elves fiercely, but are not openly hostile to outsiders so long as they are respectful of the woodlands. Gryoddenhom is ruled by Queen Maritagel, a strong fighter and powerful wizard. * Haflinshire, generally a land of halflings, though others are welcome, especially humans. Lord Mayor Applebum is happy to preside over feasts. * Isilton, the one area where high elves can still be found in abundance. The racial make-up is diverse. Lord Siloval seeks to atone for the misdeeds of his former emperor. * Caer Celirelen, is primarily a religious colony founded by wood elves in dedication to the goddess Lealani, Lady of Stars. A few high elves can be found here making penance for their mistreatment of the other races. Generally unwelcoming of outsiders. Abbot Andoel oversees this area. * Sutgadden, is mainly humans only, with one exception - Sutgadden is the only New Kingdom to keep the Eirilnian custom of slavery alive. The slaves daily curse the Duchess Cassandra. ' ' Nomadic Peoples Yalanthia is home to various nomadic tribes and peoples. Some were native to the region, some were imported from Mythonod. They tend to be distinguished by those who keep to the thick forests and wooded areas as they migrate after game and those who travel through the villages and cities trading wares and setting up carnivals. * The Nihomgithi - A tribe of wood elves. They generally keep to the west of the Dragon’s Spine Mountains and follow their game from the north during the summers to the south during the winters. * The Pyrina - A nomadic nation of Halflings native to Yalanthia. They are further divided into tribes. The most numerous are the Elk tribe, the Gryffon tribe, and the Wild Geese. Though their preferred territory east of the Dragon’s Spine Mountains has been largely deforested, they still keep to the old woods. * The Gastiwri - The Gastiwri were a band of nomadic gnomes and halflings who travelled the towns of Mythonod, selling wares and repairing cookware and other trivial trinkets blacksmiths would overlook or overcharge. Since being exiled to Yalanthia, they have been joined by many native hill dwarves displaced from their homes by the colonization. ' ' The Dwarves The mountain dwarves of Yalanthia were perhaps the least affected of the native peoples by the colonization. Though moonsteel drew the high elves to the land and led them to colonize, the resource being hidden in the depths of the mountains halted their efforts at conquest and they soon realized it was better to make peace and trade with the dwarven inhabitants. Which is not to say all is peaceful with the dwarves. The incursions into Yalanthia have made the goblins and orcs of the region bolder in their generational attacks on the dwarven mines. As well, there is the eternal threat of the drow, grey dwarves, and worse from the Annwngart. The dwarvenfasts once extended from the Giantspeak Mountains to the Greysmoke Mountains. The ones in the north fell to giants long ago in ages past. The ones in Greysmoke fell to goblins and orcs driven into the caves of the mountains during the last war. Only the fasts of the Dragon’s Spine Mountains remain. Brimir in the south keeps a watchful eye, lest the goblins advance to the north, protecting the way to the precious resources of Moonsteel Hall. This is fortunate for the industrious dwarves of the Hall, for their constant mining brings them in contact with the Annwngart quite often. Were Brimir to fall, Moonsteel Hall would soon be caught between two fronts. The King Under the Mountain, Skirvir Orcbane, regularly spends time in both Brimir and Moonsteel Hall, overseeing the defenses in the former and the production of the latter. ' ' The Annwngart The underworld of Rythia is dark and unexplored. Even orcs and goblins fear to tread there, for the cruelty of the drow and duergar put them to shame. Too, there dwell much more evil and malevolent beings in the bowels of the earth, creatures which even myth and legend do not speak save in hints and whispers. It is rumored that the deep gnomes provide (metaphorical) brightness to this black realm, but few have survived the paths to these fabled regions and fewer have survived the return. The World of Rythia The world of Rythia is more than just the area of the New Kingdoms. Yalanthia extends thousands of miles west past the Dragon’s Spine Mountains and south past Sutgadden and Mythonod itself is a vast and storied land. A brief view of what is known about the world follows. ' ' Yalanthia The newly discovered land of Yalanthia houses many mysteries. Not much is known beyond the New Kingdoms, but the eastern region of the southern portion of the land has been settled. Rumors abound that the land houses creatures not seen in the rest of Rythia since the before the first elves walked the land. ' ' Darklands The followers of the dark god Syrthyn have expanded his empire to the land of Yalanthia, in the southern continent. Upon landing, they brutally slaughtered much of the local populace - a strange cat-like people known as Tabaxi - and enslaved the rest. The few who escaped this fate have fled into the jungles. Some have made the treacherous journey north to the New Kingdoms. The Darklands are infested with all manner of undead, lycanthropes, and demons. Liches hold several key positions of power. ' ' Tabaxia The tabaxi have taken refuge in ancient ruins hidden by the overgrowth of the jungles. This suits them just fine, as they have many secrets to uncover they would not have otherwise discovered. This also gives them safe cover to enact guerilla strikes against the invaders. ' ' Mythonod The continent of Mythonod has long been a place of great feats and dark deeds. The cultures are ancient, and powerful magics have shaped the land. While much of the land was long settled into various civilizations, imperial ambitions of various peoples have recently reshaped the lands. ' ' Eirilnia Empire The region of the Eirilnian Empire covers the northwestern continent of Mythonod. Ruled by High Elves in the person of Tarisil the Undying, the land was once comprised of many kingdoms, but the kingdoms have been reduced to fiefdoms. The high elves believe that this is for the better, as they can use their wisdom and arcane developments to better the lives of the peoples of the world. Most of the settlers of the New Kingdoms came from these lands. ' ' Kingdom of Tarazar Arising out of the final battle between the free peoples and the forces of the dark god Syrthyn, the Kingdom of Tarazar was brought about after a group of orcs threw off their oppressors, both the enslavements of the necromancers and the prejudices of the free races, and razed the lands, finally settling on the borders of Eirilnia. Tarazar is a blasted and wasted land, the orcs having quickly reduced their resources through overfarming (farmed by slaves captured in their conquest) and pollution. The orcs eek out a meager subsistence mainly by raiding the surrounding regions whenever possible. ' ' The Free Lands Orcs were not the only ones to take advantage of the chaos brought about by the war between Eirilnia and Syrthpon. The peoples of the Free Lands declared their independence from the Eirilnia Empire and “benevolent” rule of the high elves. The Free Lands most closely resemble the place of harmony and peaceful coexistence that Mythonod was before the wars against the dark god, with all the races represented. Each people keeps to themselves for the most part, ruling in the way they see fit for their respective outlooks, but will gladly trade and socialize with the others, but truly only band together in the case of threat - which happens often, for the Free Lands are surrounded on all sides by enemies who would see that freedom vanish. Damgithi The men of Damgithi populate the far east of Mythonod. The land is famed for its labyrinthine bureaucracies and gentle philosophies. They were once ruled over by the dragonborn of Llokadon, and though now autonomous they still hold the dragon-folk in high esteem as having taught them the ways of civilization and regard them as being touched by their great dragon god Tenlong. ' ' Llokadon Llokadon is a kingdom of dragonborn. As such, the land is ruled over by various clans and castes. Honor is carefully noted and the giving of dishonor is the worst offense. For the most part the land is ruled in peace by the Dragon Emperor, but sometimes feuds break out amongst the clans. Also, cunning wizards and dark priests of Tiamat are rumoured to hide in the mountains, plotting the downfall of the Dragon Emperor and bringing about a new dynasty of chaos. ' ' Kwylnaga The treacherous Yuan-ti, long allied with - though not under the domination of - Syrthyn, have long been the passageway for necromancers in the south to harry the lands of the north. The snake people have never actually taken part in the wars, claiming neutrality, but love to stir the pot whenever possible by playing “diplomacy” whenever possible. ' ' Dwarrowhome Dwarrowhome is the great empire of the dwarves. Slightly declined from the heights of its past due to the overmining of moonsteel, Dwarrowhome survives now in trade in gold and gems - thus having gone from a ridiculously wealthy land to merely wealthy. While an empire, Dwarrowhome has no actual emperor and is instead a collection of dwarven kings who occasionally come together in council on matters of trade or warfare. Dwarrowhome is often the target of dragons seeking to increase their hoards. ' ' Syrthpon Syrthpon is the region ruled over by Syrthyn, the dark god. The land is wasted, all life not needed strictly for subsistence having been sacrificed to provide magical energies for the dark god’s conquests. Necromancy and dark arts hold sway over the land and when Syrthyn is otherwise occupied in his godly duties a magocracy ensures his brutal policies are kept. ' ' The Dreaming Lands Little is known of the Dreaming Lands, for it is a treacherous place. Portals to other planes open at random, magic has wild and unpredictable results, time shifts in strange ways, and even at the best of the times the land has a strange somatic quality to it. It is rumored to be the place the gods dwell when they deign to visit the material plane, and possibly the land elves go to when they “die”. Tracking Time The passage of time in the New Kingdoms is tracked with a calendar based off the old Eirdamni calendar developed during the golden age of the human empire. The calendar is known as the Tyricyrion Calendar after the human king Tyricyrel during whose reign the calendar was developed. The calendar follows a 365 day year beginning and ending at the winter solstice with a leap year every four years and has twelve months. Each month is 30 days with four extra month festivals falling during solstices and equinoxes and an extra festival day falling between the months Hethrandis and Aelrando in the middle of fall. Months are further broken into weeks of seven days, based on previous traditions that tracked months by the 28 day cycle of the moon. Each day has a name, the tradition of which is similar enough to other worlds that day-names such as Sunday, Monday, etc make for a close approximation. The months and how they relate to dates in other worlds are as follows: ' ' Torando – First month of the year. It begins the day after the winter solstice, so about December 22 through January 20 Silandis – January 21 – February 19 Llywando - February 20 – March 21 Festival of Beginnings- Falls between Llywando and Bromando, commemorating the creation of the world. March 22. Bromando – March 23 – April 21 Valerandis – April 22 – May 21 Machando – May 22 – June 20 Docthan’s Day – Falls between Machando and the following month, commemorating the gifts of summer. June 21 Nymrothando – June 22 – July 21 Ishandis - July 22 – August 20 Arandis – August 21 – September 19 Aris’s Night – Festival celebrating the harvest. September 20. Hethrandis – September 21 – October 20 All-Gods’ Day- A festival between Hethrandis and Aelrando, commemorating all the gods. October 21. Aelrando -October 22 – November 20 Gavrando – November 21 – December 20 Yule: End of the year, start of new year celebration, December 21. ' ' Smaller Passages Each day is divided into seven “watches” figured based on the time of day and traditional needs of agrarian cultures. First Watch is the period at the dawning of the day, beginning when the first cock crows. Second Watch is about mid-morning, the traditional time for a break for fieldhands. Third Watch or Lunch Watch is the midday when the sun the sun is at it’s highest point in the sky. Fourth Watch is mid-afternoon, another traditional break time. Fifth Watch starts when the sun begins to set and the people go home. Sixth Watch is mid-evening, when people usually retire. Seventh Watch or Midnight Watch comes at some point between Sixth Watch and First watch, usually around midnight. Category:The New Kingdoms Category:The World of Rythia __FORCETOC__